'Socially-minded council' unanimously passes homelessness motion

North Bay City Council unanimously passed a resolution during Tuesday's regular meeting seeking action from Premier Doug Ford's government in addressing the homelessness crisis in our city and beyond.

The motion calls on the Government of Ontario to "urgently acknowledge that homelessness is a social, economic, and health crisis; commit to ending homelessness in Ontario; and, work with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and a broad range of community, health, Indigenous and economic partners to develop, resource, and implement an action plan to achieve this goal."

"I recognize the housing and homelessness challenges we are experiencing are not unique to North Bay," Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield said. "It is a province-wide challenge that requires urgent collaborative action with strong policies and investments in affordable housing, income assistance, and mental health and addictions support."

Horsfield, who tabled the motion with Councillor Gary Gardiner as the seconder, said AMO recently presented its pre-budget submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs and it focuses on increasing the supply of housing and tackling the homelessness crisis in Ontario. AMO also launched a resolution campaign on Housing and Homelessness. Part of the strategy is to hear from municipal councils, DSSABs, elected officials and members of the public to call on the provincial government for action.

From the BayToday archives: Notable increase in visible homelessness downtown prompted Mayor's Roundtable

And, in a March 2022 meeting, this council's predecessors discussed the transient homeless population accessing North Bay's 'hub' of services.

In voicing his support, Coun. Chris Mayne noted this was one of the most "socially-minded councils" he had served on in his political career. "I hope it has some impact in sparking the provincial government to work with the federal government and to work with all municipalities.

"This has been a long-time developing situation and it has been exacerbated in the last few years by Covid and high supplies of drugs. But, over the years, mental health care in Ontario and in Canada has been the death of one thousand cuts. Small assistance programs like ACT with transitional housing for people at risk with different challenges lost their funding and all of a sudden they have nowhere to stay. And, that's cascaded to where we are today and it really is a crisis."

A copy of the resolution will be sent to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services; the Minister of Health, AMO, and the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM).

"As we know, homelessness is a very big issue in North Bay — and of course, it is happening all across Ontario and Canada — it is something that is really a failure in policy," Coun. Justine Mallah expressed. "We have to ensure there are the proper services and opportunities for folks who are unhoused."

See also: Homelessness is like a game of musical chairs

And: DNSSAB Chair looking for homeless answers

"Discussions at the provincial level have been quite good," advised Coun. Mark King, who also serves as Chair of the DNSSAB Board and as NOSDA vice-chair. "A great disappointment for were the two failed applications to the federal rapid housing program over the past two-and-a-half years. No one else in northern Ontario, other than Sudbury, received money from that funding envelope. We need the support of the federal government."

"Locally, I have spoken with individuals who are experiencing homelessness and individuals working directly with those experiencing homelessness. There is no one size fits all solution and the current models for support are not making ends meet. Advocacy to the provincial government is one tool we can use in bringing about solutions that are permanent and reflect the lived experiences of those they are created to support."

See: DNSSAB is 'Built for Zero' in bid to end chronic homelessness

An identical motion stating the "homeless crisis is taking a devastating toll on families and communities, undermining a healthy and prosperous Ontario," and is a "result of the underinvestment and poor policy choices of successive provincial governments," was passed recently by the DNSSAB Board.

And: Letter: Lots of homeless resources but answers elusive

The motion maintains the municipalities and social services boards province-wide, including the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board, are "doing their part, but do not have the resources, capacity or tools to address this complex challenge," and calls for "leadership and urgent action" from the provincial government on an "emergency basis to develop, resource, and implement a comprehensive plan to prevent, reduce and ultimately end homelessness in Ontario."